Formula One's race director Charlie Whiting has revealed that he told Ferrari three times to let Robert Kubica back through after Fernando Alonso illegally overtook him at the British Grand Prix.

Alonso passed Kubica for position by cutting Club corner at Silverstone and then was subsequently penalised with a drive-through penalty for not letting the Renault back past. The punishment, considered too harsh by Ferrari, ruined Alonso's chances of fighting for points and it was widely assumed that the orders from the FIA were slow, with Ferrari's website stating it is "fact that in the fastest sport in the world, decision are taken slowly".

However, Whiting has hit back at Ferrari by saying he told the pit wall immediately that Alonso should concede position and in the end had no option but to get the stewards involved.

"On the radio, I suggested to them that if they exchange position again, there would be no need for the stewards to intervene," he told Italy's Autosprint magazine. "We told Ferrari three times that in my opinion they should give the position back to Kubica.

"And we told them that immediately, right after the overtaking manoeuvre. But they didn't do that and on the third communication they said that Kubica was by then too far back to let him regain the position."

Team boss Stefano Domenicali said on Monday that Ferrari needed to wait for the FIA's final decision about whether Alonso should give back the place, "otherwise we would be accused of being not aggressive enough".